After nine great years playing in blue and white for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner had a feeling the grass would be greener elsewhere, especially in Las Vegas, where he joined as a free agent this summer.
The expectation was that Marner would fit seamlessly into a star-studded Golden Knights team around Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, allowing him to do his thing without being in the spotlight all the time.
That seemed to be the case through fifteen games, as Marner scored nineteen points (four goals, fifteen assists) and seemed to find his feet in the West. However, it’s been a struggle in the nine games since then, and Marner’s four points (four assists) in that span have already resulted in Golden Knights fans starting to express some frustrations and urging their $12 million man to step up.
SinBinVegas wrote:
“You know what I was just thinking… Wouldn’t it be nice if the winger they paid $12 million in the offseason jumped the boards, took over for a shift and single-handedly forced his team to score?”
The 28-year-old was, of course, dealt to Vegas in June in a sign-and-trade that sent Nicholas Roy to Toronto before ultimately signing an eight-year, $96 million deal with the Golden Knights.
Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews both miss each other?
While Marner has begun to feel the difficulties of transitioning to a new team, his longtime partner, Auston Matthews, has faced a similar struggle without his go-to man in Toronto.
Matthews has just 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in the 19 games he has played this season, and has himself been criticized for his lack of production and overall performances that don’t resemble the superstardom he is expected and paid to be.
These are two of the most talented players in hockey, so it’s highly likely that they will both turn things around and contribute more than a point per game by the end of the year. That said, it’s interesting to see the challenges both Marner and Matthews faced early in their first seasons in the NHL.
We’ll have to wait a little longer to see the two face off for the first time, as the Maple Leafs visit the Golden Knights on a western road trip in mid-January, which will soon be followed by Marner’s highly anticipated return to Toronto on January 23.
Next: Insider reveals untold argument between William Nylander and former coach
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